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Monday, October 05, 2015

THE GOD WHO SEES MY HEART by Mary Hamilton

I am not what you’d call a prayer warrior. Five minutes in
prayer is more than enough time for my mind to wander to the day’s activities,
last week’s blunder, or even a hurt that occurred years ago. I’m in awe of
brothers and sisters in the faith who have learned to spend hours in prayer,
communing with our Lord. Their ministry is vital, and can provide encouragement
like no other.

A year after my mother passed away, her death had me
reflecting on things I wished I’d said and done while she was still alive.
Distance had kept me from seeing her more than once a year, and her condition during
her last several months had prevented me from even communicating with her by
phone. I missed her deeply. While mourning her absence in my life, I received
word that my sister’s ovarian cancer had come out of remission. Again, distance
would keep me from spending time with her and I wondered how soon I’d be
mourning another loss.

In the midst of those days of heartache and dread, I
received a note from a precious prayer warrior saying the Lord had laid me on
her heart to pray for me. I’ve never met this woman in person; I only know her
from her Facebook presence. She’s a prayer warrior, though we’d never exchanged
prayer requests. When I received her note, I explained the heaviness in my
heart. She’d sensed it was something other than our common writing interest.

Suddenly, I felt like Hagar in the desert. Alone in my grief
and fear of the future, I’d met Jehovah Roi, the God Who Sees. Not only did He
see my inner turmoil, but He laid it on someone else’s heart to intercede for
me, and to let me know that He cared. He was watching. More than anything else,
that thought lifted me above my sorrow and grief. The Creator of all that
exists, the One who spoke the universe into being, saw my hurting heart and
communicated His care for me.

What an inspiration! What a joy to remember in dark days
that we have a God Who Sees, even when we can’t find our way. The memory still
brings me to tears, but they are tears of joy, knowing how deeply my Father in
heaven loves me and watches over me.

Mary L. Hamilton grew up at a youth camp in southern
Wisconsin, much like the setting for her Rustic Knoll Bible Camp series. While
raising her own three children, she was active in her church’s youth ministry,
including serving as a camp counselor for a week. Once was enough.

About SEE NO EVIL by Mary Hamilton

Steven Miller guards a dark secret.

Dad drilled into Steven that his blindness should never be used as an excuse. So when Steven finds an old triathlon medallion among Dad's belongings, he's inspired to follow in his footsteps. Maybe it'll quiet the guilt he's carried since Dad's death three years ago.

While Steven continues his triathlon training during his final summer at camp, a serious illness keeps Rustic Knoll's beloved Nurse Willie from managing her clinic. When Steven teams up with his friend Claire to encourage Willie's recovery, his feelings for Claire grow beyond friendship.

But his buddy, Dillon, has started down a dangerous path that Steven knows all too well. Can he keep his friend from falling into that sin without exposing his own past?